Audenshaw

The town of Audenshaw borders the City of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. As, until 1974 Audenshaw was a suburb of the City of Manchester it does not have a town centre. Since then it has been administered as part of the metropolitan borough of Tameside. It lies in proximity to Ashton-under-Lyne, Droylsden and Denton centres. Audenshaw has a population of 12,790 (2001 census).

Andrew Gwynne is Audenshaw's Member of Parliament. He was elected in 2005 to represent the Denton and Reddish seat, of which Audenshaw is a part.

In 1877, part of the original village of Audenshaw was demolished to make way for the 3 Audenshaw Reservoirs.

There is only one secondary school in Audenshaw - Audenshaw School. However there are several primary schools:

Aldwyn Primary
Hawthorns School and Motor Impaired Resource Base
Audenshaw Primary School
Poplar Street Primary School
St Anne’s Roman Catholic Primary School
St Stephen’s Church of England Primary School

Notable buildings include the beautiful Ryecroft Hall which was donated to Audenshaw Urban District Council by the local Member of Parliament, Austin Hopkinson in 1921, St. Stephen's Church and the Robertson's Jam Factory.

[edit] Coat of arms

Arms of the former Audenshaw Urban District Council (abolished 1974)

The coat of arms was granted to Audenshaw Urban District Council on the 17 November 1950 as the following (see the picture to the left):

Per pale argent and gules, a pickaxe and a pierced mullet in pale countercharged, in dexter chief a rose of the second and in sinister chief a rose of the first, both barbed and seeded proper. Crest: On a wreath of the colours, a mill-wheel proper between a rose argent and a rose gules, both barbed and seeded proper. Motto: Festina Lente.

The pickaxe and the millstone in Audenshaw's coat of arms represent its principal industries. The red and white roses indicate the town's proximity to the Lancashire and Yorkshire border. The inverted star or molet is from the arms of the Assheton family, who are Lords of the Manor.

The motto translates as "Make haste slowly - do not be impetuous".